Hearing devices are portable hearing apparatuses which are used to supply the hard-of-hearing. To accommodate the numerous individual requirements, different configurations of hearing devices such as behind-the-ear hearing devices (BTE), in-the-ear hearing devices (ITE), concha hearing devices, are provided. The hearing devices designed by way of example are worn on the outer ear or in the auditory canal. Furthermore, bone conduction hearing aids, implantable or vibrotactile hearing aids are also available on the market. The damaged hearing is herewith either stimulated mechanically or electrically.
Essential components of the hearing devices include in principal an input converter, an amplifier and an output converter. The input converter is generally a receiving transducer, e.g. a microphone and/or an electromagnetic receiver, e.g. an induction coil. The output converter is mostly realized as an electroacoustic converter, e.g. a miniature loudspeaker, or as an electromechanical converter, e.g. a bone conduction receiver. The amplifier is usually integrated into a signal processing unit. This main configuration is shown in the example in FIG. 1 of a behind-the-ear hearing device. One or a number of microphones 2 for recording the ambient sound are incorporated in a hearing device housing 1 to be worn behind the ear. A signal processing unit 3, which is similarly integrated into the hearing device housing 1, processes the microphone signals and amplifies them. The output signal of the signal processing unit 3 is transmitted to a loudspeaker and/or receiver 4, which outputs an acoustic signal. The sound is optionally transmitted to the ear drum of the device wearer via a sound tube, which is fixed with an otoplastic in the auditory canal. The power supply of the hearing device and in particular of the signal processing unit 3 is provided by a battery 5 which is likewise integrated into the hearing device housing 1.
The large number of parameters in a hearing device signal processing and the similarly large number of the most varied hearing situations as well as the subjective hearing sensitivity of a hearing device wearer require an individual adjustment of the hearing device parameters to the individual and the corresponding situation. As a detailed adjustment is not possible in a special situation in a short adjustment session, it is useful if the user is able to express their views on a preferred adjustment when he/she desires a change. This is achieved by means of training, by the user specifying a desired hearing experience by way of program selector switches and volume control. The device memorizes this in order to behave as desired the next time this situation occurs.
There is nevertheless uncertainty as to when and for how long this desired hearing experience is valid. It is also questionable whether and when another change is to be expected. By way of example, it is not known whether the current desired hearing experience relates to an instant (e.g. the slamming of a door was perceived as too loud) or to the last five minutes.
In current approaches for training hearing device-specific parameters, it is always presupposed that the user informs the hearing system as to whether his/her decision is “final”. In this context, the publication US 2005/0129262 A1 discloses a hearing device which can be automatically adjusted and trained to the acoustic situations. A so-called “vote” button is to be activated there in order to complete one learning step. A button activation of this type can possibly be very laborious or easily forgotten.